Funding & Awards

The Carla Cassidy Award recognizes an eligible fourth year student enrolled in a full-time Arts program with the highest CGPA across the Faculty of Arts, through 6 semesters of study; must demonstrate financial need. Students with the highest CGPA at the end of the sixth semester and preregistered to take at least four billing units in the upcoming fall semester will be identified and invited to apply to the award.

Description / The COMMA Book Award in the Faculty of Arts will be awarded in each of the fall and winter terms to a full-time undergraduate student who has demonstrated financial need and who has self-identified as being from a racialized group or who has self-identified as an Aboriginal (Metis, Inuit, First Nations, status and non-status) person.

Background / The name COMMA is an anagram taken from the names of the donor’s parents, whom the award is intended to honour, for the love of books and of learning that they imparted.

Purpose / To provide financial assistance for a student in the Faculty of Arts to facilitate the purchase of text books for their studies.

Award Value / One award of $500 in each of the fall and winter semesters.

Application Deadline / Fall Term: Wednesday, September 27, 2017 (by no later than 4:00 p.m.)

Eligibility / 

• Applicants must be self-identified as being from a racialized group; or be self-identified as being an Aboriginal (Metis, Inuit, First Nations, status and non-status) person.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial need by completing the student application form and budget;
• Preference is given to applicants who are not receiving any other scholarship or financial assistance;
• Applicants should write, in confidence, to the Faculty of Arts, naming the COMMA Book Award and explaining how they meet the Award criteria;
• Applicant students must be registered in a minimum 4 courses in the semester in which the award will be received;
• Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 1.67 and have a clear academic standing (students entering Ryerson will simply need to have met Faculty entry requirements);
• Applicants who have received the award previously are eligible to re-apply.

Application Information / Interested candidates will need to submit:

• a one-page cover letter describing why they are an ideal candidate
• complete list of awards, bursaries and scholarships received, including dates
• completed Student Application and Budget for the COMMA Book Award

Selection Criteria (Weighting) / Cover letter, application and budget: 100%

Selection / Members of the selection committee are appointed by the Faculty of Arts Associate Dean, Students and Undergraduate Studies. Applications are reviewed by a selection committee consisting of two tenure-stream faculty members (selected from two Arts departments representing different Arts undergraduate programs). The Selection Committee makes its recommendation to the Associate Dean.

Apply / Submit completed application to: Faculty of Arts Jorgenson Hall, 1st floor Faculty of Arts office, Room JOR-123 Toronto Metropolitan University 350 Victoria Street Toronto, ON M5B 2K3

Summary / Every year, the Dean of Arts awards four academic prizes for the best essays in Liberal Studies courses from a selection nominated by faculty professors. To qualify, an essay must have been awarded a grade of A. The prizes are awarded in June. The students, their program advisors, and instructors are informed of the winners. 

Dean's Liberal Studies Essay Prize (2017-2018) / Please note that essays submitted during the Fall 2017 and Winter 2018 terms can be nominated for the Liberal Studies Essay Prize Competition in May 2018. There are four annual essay prizes awarded for essays submitted in liberal studies courses (regular or CNED) during the current academic year.  Each prize is worth $100.00 and is funded by the Dean of Arts Office. Two prizes are given for essays in lower-level courses and two for upper-level courses. The prizes will be awarded in June 2018.  Deadline to submit nomination: Friday, May 4th, 2018.

Procedure for Nominations / Faculty and Chang School instructors teaching liberal studies courses are asked to nominate essays.  To qualify, an essay must achieve a grade of 85% (A) or higher. A complete nomination package must include a scanned copy of the essay (written comments should be eliminated) and the signed consent form by the student considered for the award.  Students must consent to having their essays considered for a prize by signing the nomination form. Click on the link below to obtain a copy of this form. Faculty are requested to nominate up to a maximum of five of their top papers.

Adjudication / The essays will be judged on their merit by a four-member committee chaired by the Dean of Arts or her representative, and comprising of faculty teaching liberal studies. The committee will announce the winners by June. The decisions of the committee are final and cannot be appealed.

The Dean's List recognizes undergraduate students' high academic achievement in an academic year. Undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts who meet the academic criteria outlined below will receive a Letter of Congratulations from the Dean in June. This accomplishment will be noted on the student's transcript.

1. Students must achieve a minimum GPA of 3.67 for the academic year (fall and winter terms).
2. Students in full-time programs must be carrying an average unit load of 4.0 courses for two terms.
3. Students in part-time programs must have completed a specified number of courses deemed by the Dean to be the equivalent of a full year of study.
4. Students in full-time programs who are registered with the Academic Accommodation Support must have completed a specified number of courses deemed by the Dean to be the equivalent of a full year of study. Speak to your Program Administrator if this applies to you.
5. Students must have all passing grades and a clear academic standing for both terms and cannot have received any Disciplinary Notices (DN) while at Ryerson.

To be eligible students must have successfully completed a minimum of 10 semester courses towards any BA degree in the Faculty of Arts; must be enrolled in good standing and have a minimum CGPA of 2.50; must have a demonstrated minimum of 50 hours of Faculty of Arts based research experience from either a research practicum course, a research volunteership, or a research assistantship.

The Kiki Maniatakos Memorial Scholarships is awarded in each the fall and winter terms to 2 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts who achieved the highest grades in Musicology (MUS 300) and Popular Music and Culture (MUS 505).

The Ryerson Gold Medal is the University's highest student award available across all Faculties. Students are nominated for this award by their academic Program Departments.

Do you need financial support to get your project up and running? The Faculty of Arts Student Projects Grant provides financial support for student-initiated extra-curricular projects and activities that promote experiential learning and student engagement. Applications are collected twice a year, in the Fall and Winter terms. / Read more > (opens in new window)